3 biggest questions the Las Vegas Raiders are still asking themselves after nailing the 2026 NFL Draft
The Las Vegas Raiders grabbed a pretty good rookie class in the 2026 NFL Draft, but there are still some important questions that need to be asked.
The Las Vegas Raiders had one of the best drafts in the NFL. They walked out of the 2026 NFL Draft as a much better team, with a few starters in this class. However, even after a good draft like this one, Vegas is still looking for answers to some big questions about its roster.
Some of these big questions concern what the Raiders couldn’t address. Some of these big questions concern issues they did address, but that now create an additional problem. Without further ado, let’s get into them.
Raiders’ 3 biggest questions after the 2026 NFL Draft
Offensive guard spot, who starts?
I’ve seen some in the Raiders media think that Trey Zuhn, the third-round pick, is automatically the starter. And, while I think he is certainly good enough to be that, what makes him the starter? You can’t say that his being a third-round pick warrants that, because Caleb Rogers was a third-round pick as well, and he has some NFL experience.
Then there is Spencer Burford, who has 38 career starts under his belt. After that is Jordan Meredith, who started at center last year, was terrible, but played at guard in 2024 and was brilliant at times. I’ve also seen some media in this space call for Zuhn as the starter on the right side, and Jackson Powers-Johnson as the player who’s in the battle for the other spot with the players I’ve just mentioned. I don’t see it that way, but there are certainly some questions to be answered there.
Offensive tackle didn’t get addressed, and it feels like there’s a battle brewing
DJ Glaze has been the starter for the last two years. He’s had good moments. However, last year he led the entire league in blown blocks, as he struggles mightily with speed pass rushers. Then behind him is Charles Grant, who was a third-round pick last year, but hardly played at all. And, his college experience came on the left side. So, what’s the plan there?
I didn’t think the Raiders would draft a tackle, simply because Klint Kubiak said he loves the stability there. If you draft a player who’s worth starting, you lose that stability. However, their not drafting anyone at all brings us right back to where we started. Is it Glaze, Grant, or someone else on the roster? Or is it Caleb Rogers or Specer Buford, who has some experience at tackle?
Wide receiver, do the Raiders just have a ton of trust in that room?
Almost everyone was so certain the Raiders would draft a receiver on Day 2, and certainly before the fifth round. However, they waited till the sixth. Now, granted, Vegas drafted a WR that had a fifth-round grade, but there’s no way you can just automatically give Malik Benson a 53-man roster spot.
The question here remains, what are Jack Bech and Dont’e Thornton really going to be, and are they enough to where the Raiders aren’t drafting a WR next year? That’s a question that will take much longer to answer. However, we wouldn’t be in that kind of situation had they drafted a WR fairly high.
